Lady of the Fifth House
by applesofwrath
Summary: AU. A talented healer with an unknown background and an exiled heiress travel all over the land to use their skills for the good of others. Soon they are faced with challenges where they face the past and bring glory to their clans.
1. Chapter 1

**-Lady of the Fifth House-**

**By: Applesofwrath**

**Chapter One**

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><p><em><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>__ Naruto is property belonging to Masashi Kishimoto. Neither am I claiming_ _any of Naruto's content nor writing a fanfic for profit. Please don't sue me and support the actual release._

_**Summary:**__A talented healer with an unknown background and an exiled heiress travel all over the land to use their skills for the good of others. Soon they are faced with challenges where they face the past and bring glory to their houses._

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><p><em>The Island of Konoha was born when the leader of the Senju Clan, Senju Hashirama and the leader of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Madara formed a truce, to end their constant battles of bloodshed. The two most powerful clans of the Island, along with some lesser clans built the Country of Konoha. When it came time to choose their leader, the people of the new land voted Hashirama as their first king, over the power hungry Madara. King Senju lived his life fully devoted to making a strong and stable foundation for his new country, but unfortunately did not leave an heir. With no heir, he left the world with a trusted regent, his brother, Senju Tobirama. King SenjuTobirama was crowned King and he left his legacy with the building of the Royal City, Konohakagure and the formation of the four houses that cover the four corners of the Island. The four houses being: Uchiha, Hyuuga, Uzumaki, and Nara. The Lord of each house would serve as a member of Konoha's loyal council to the King. Lesser Houses existed within the lands of each House that are under the support of the Lords of each House. Like his elder brother who ruled before him, Tobirama passed on with no heir. When he knew his time was coming, he passed the crown to his faithful regent, Sarutobi Hiruzen. <em>

_Crowned King, Sarutobi left his legacy by bringing the land to a great period of peace and prosperity. He managed to form peaceful trade relationships with other Islands and avoided any bloodshed. Sarutobi planned on passing the crown to his son Asuma, but Asuma become targeted and assassinated. Before his death, Sarutobi passed the crown to his regent, Namikaze Minato, who was known for his marriage to Kushina, a distant relative to the Senju clan. During the reign of Minato, the country faced conflicts against the zealous believers of Madara, who believed that the Uchiha clan members were the true rulers of the country. During a battle against the terrorism from these dangerous enemies, Minato died bravely in the battlefield. His Queen and son were targeted for assassination attempts. The Queen was killed, but the supporters of Minato successfully protected his legacy—his son. Before her end, Queen Kushina was unable to pass the throne to her young baby son. Until he was ready to inherit the throne, Kushina passed the throne to Tsunade, who was the granddaughter of the first king and next in line for the throne. _

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><p><em>(Konoha during the Reign of Tsunade in the Year 1440).<em>

Sakura sat quietly by the window of a quaint teahouse in the town of Toda in Nara. Across the small table sat her timid, dark haired companion. She was the same age as Sakura, around her early twenties, had her hair tied back into a low braided bun. If she were to untie it, a long length of silky indigo hair would come down and reach her lower back. If one came closer, they would smell a lovely floral fragrance from her hair—a prominent symbol of nobility. She wore a plain cotton, muted gray kimono with a dark blue vest. Her skin was pale like porcelain, and her eyes were as white as pearls. Sakura turned to face her companion and noticed that she sat there calmly sipping her tea and gazing at the newspaper lying on the table in front of her. Sakura reached for her neglected tea cup and took a sip. The tea had turned cold. Sakura drank her cup quickly and reached for the celadon kettle that sat near the window and poured her a fresh hot cup. She held the tea with both her hands, enjoying the warmth being transferred to her tiny hands.

"What is going on in the newspapers? Hinata?" Sakura spoke as she eyed the newspaper, breaking the silence between them. Hinata looked up, the sunlight from the window hitting her thick bangs. Hinata stared at her companion. Sakura was a fair skinned woman like herself, except with her light pink hair and seafoam green eyes. She kept her long hair in a low braided bun as well and her clothes were the attire of an average citizen.

Hinata nodded, "Just more articles on the rifts within the Uchiha and also Hyuuga. More useless fighting," Hinata said the last part with a slight bitter edge as she folded up the newspaper placed it near the window, dismissing it. She refilled her tea and drank. Sakura frowned,

"I'm sorry about that, Hinata." Hinata looked up and shook her head, "It's fine. I left home for over three years now and everyone has pretty much forgotten about me." It was true. The gossip about the exiled Hyuuga heir had dwindled down to the point where everyone had pretty much forgotten it. As the years went by, Hinata blended more and more as a common citizen. There were so many different bloodlines these days that nobody ever assumes a woman with striking pearl eyes would automatically be a Hyuuga. The only proof would be if she were to perform the Byakugan, which she only did in private when needed. Her noble aura faded as she learned how to keep a low profile and lived the lifestyle of a low-profile, working class citizen. Sakura smiled at the memory of her friend. She was once a short haired stuttering, shy woman who lacked the courage to stand up to others. As they journeyed for two years, as a pair of traveling healers, she watched her friend grow from that young teenager into a lovely and brave young woman, no longer stuttering and scared of possible danger.

They both looked out the window, gazing at the bright yellow early morning sky. The warmth of the light hit their faces. Hinata turned to her friend, "What's next on our journey?"

"We need to go to Hana. I received word that there is a woman there who will be due soon. We can both make the process easier on her." Hinata nodded, "Shall we get going? If we leave now, we will arrive a bit past dinner time." Sakura nodded. They quickly drank their tea, left some money, and grabbed their cloaks to head out the door.

Once they were outside, they put on their hooded cloaks and headed to the market not too far from the teahouse. They bought some food for the journey and other necessities. Once they refilled their supplies, they retrieved their horses from the stables and began their day journey. The two rode side by side down the road. They passed crop fields and farms, waving to the workers that worked that land. Five hours into their journey, Sakura reached into her pack and tossed an apple to Hinata who began to feel hungry. They were going to have to eat a late dinner, but the apples helped suppress their growing appetite.

They soon reached a road surrounded by high lands and trees. Sakura observed the land around her; there was something uncomforting about this part of the road. The land was perfect for a bandit attack-an ambush. Sakura turned to Hinata who looked as if she was fully aware of what can possibly happen. Sakura mouthed some words to Hinata, who nodded and placed her hands in a formation.

Multiple eyes peered through the trees, with bows ready to fire a rain of arrows at the feet of the horses to scare them into tossing their master of their backs. The men eyed the two lone, seemingly helpless women who had no sort of escort of guards with them—a fatal mistake. No, the two women would not be killed; instead they could serve a different purpose. The carnal urges among the group of men heightened. They will be used to satisfy their cravings first, and then sold into slavery for a brothel. At the signal of their leader, the arrows were fired at the women. Like planned, the arrows hit the ground near the hooves of the horses, scarring them into panic. Sakura and Hinata tried to calm the horses, but to no avail. The horses neighed and threw their masters off their backs. The bandits watched as the women were flung into the air and when they almost hit the dirt, something unexpected occurred. The two women turned into two lifeless logs and hit the ground.

The bandits swallowed, the two women expected their move and used a jutsu. The men remained low, their minds raced to figure out where the two women went. They didn't expect that the two women were trained kunoichi. There was a deep silence before the kill. Four of the men behind one of the cliffs felt a form race past them, and before they could react, they realized their throats have been slit. They fell down like a bunch of flies. Sakura emerged from the trees, chakra scalpel in hand. She charged for the opposite cliff across from her. The other half of the bandits raised their arrows at her, about to fire until they felt multiple sharp pains on their backs. She had hit the nerves on their spines! The pain turned paralyzing, and they could do nothing as they fell, face forward from the cliffs, screaming for their deaths. The fall didn't kill them, but the remaining men lay there, paralyzed and unable to fight back. Two pairs of footsteps approached them. Some of the men saw the white pearl eyes of the dark haired women and her byakugan, the bloodline trait of the Hyuuga clan, only to never speak of it ever again when the kunai slit their throats, ending their lives.

Sakura stepped over the men. She wiped her kunai clean the shirt of a dead bandit before placing the kunai back into her pouch. She turned to her companion who did the same before checking the men for any goods. Sakura followed suit. They decided to take only money, for the bandits carried nothing useful to them. They had only weapons, which Sakura and Hinata had neither the need nor space in their bags for.

As the two kunoichi were about to mount their horses, they heard an approaching group. The sound of horses charges became louder and louder. They waited for a few moments until the group came into view. There were four men; two of them had their own individual horse while two of them shared one. On the horse shared by two men carried a blond man in front who looked pale and unable to take the reins and relied on the dark haired man behind him to ride. Sakura and Hinata's initial reflex told them to prepare hand seals for another battle. Their eyes searched for any sign of their identity or background. The horses had gear with the Queen's seal on it, a good sign that the men were amicable riders. The horses came to a halt. Sakura and Hinata watched as the group of men approached them. The women put on a calm smile and greeted the fellow travelers. Sakura waved at one of the men on an individual horse who came forward, he was a dark haired man with a short, high pony tail with a bored expression on his face,

"Hello there. Be on the lookout for bandits around this area. I don't know if there will be more. My friend and I dodged their ambush and took out a small group of them. The rest might still be out there," Sakura explained. Hinata stood quietly and observed the men before her, while Sakura did most of the talking. There was the man with the dark ponytail, a sick blond man, a dark spiked haired man, and a brunette with red face paint. Her eyes immediately focused on the blond man who looked sick. The other man on his own horse came forward, and brought his horse alongside the first man. He was an incredibly handsome man. He wore light armor like the rest of his group, but he was pale with obsidian eyes and matching spiked hair. He carried a stoic expression on his face as he looked directly at Sakura. Sakura quietly wallowed as he approached,

"What are two women doing alone with no escort or guard, passing an area overrun with bandits?" He questioned with a slight arrogant tone. From what she could sense, Sakura guessed that the man before her was a noble born son of some lesser house normally used to talking down to women who didn't know how to fight or defend herself in battle, viewing them as helpless and annoying. Sakura groaned mentally at the thought of dealing with this sort of man, but decided to be polite and gave him a charming smile, "Just passing through to our destination. We can protect ourselves perfectly fine." At his, the man looked at the dead corpses next to them, Sakura continued on, "We are trained kunoichi and have faced worse than a runt group like this."

He observed the women—the two women stood out like a sore thumb. He had a feeling that they weren't just regular working class citizens, regardless of their attire. Their Japanese was perfect, so they had to have been well-educated, probably born from some noble or lesser noble house. They displayed remarkable, above average ninja abilities that barely any working class citizen knew. An amateur shinobi would have ended up wounded or near death fighting a decent sized group of bandits. Their physical features were incredibly unique and strange-unique and strange enough to be part of some clan with bloodline abilities. When does one ever see a woman with pink hair or a woman with pearl white eyes? Why the two of them were traveling through the southern area of Konoha, he couldn't figure out.

His eyes turned to their horses, they were simple horses bought from a local stable. Nothing special on them—no branded markings indicating who they belong to, they were just simple horses. He looked at their packs attached to the saddles that opened during the attack. He saw rations and ninja weapons, like kunai and shuriken. What caught his eyes the most were the herbs, bandages, and bottles of some sort of solutions within them. He turned to the two women,

"Are you two talented in healing?" He urgently asked. Hinata stepped forward and spoke up,

"Yes, we're traveling healers…" She trailed off and looked at their sick companion, who didn't look like he would last another night in his condition, "What is wrong with your friend?"

"He got cut with a poison kunai. We were also ambushed by bandits a far back down the road. The fool over there insisted he was fine, but the poison soon went into effect," He nodded towards the sick blond with an annoyed tone. We were told there was no healer in Hana, and that we should try Toda for a traveling healer that was staying there for a bit.

"Your source was referring to us. We left Toda many hours ago and were heading toward Hana for our next patient. Yes, to our knowledge there are no healers in Hana or in this area besides us…" Sakura nodded. Though the man's face carried no expression, Sakura saw the hidden plea in his dark eyes. His desperation apparent with his next words,

"I will pay you triple the amount of money if you save our friend right now." Before Sakura answered him, she turned to face Hinata, who looked as if she took sympathy towards the poisoned man. Hinata gave a pleading look and nodded to Sakura, which Sakura knew meant Hinata wanted to help them. The decision was made, and Sakura turned to the dark man and nodded,

"My companion and I will do our best. However, you do not need to compensate us."


	2. Chapter 2

**-Lady of the Fifth House-**

**By: Applesofwrath**

**Chapter Two**

Once Sakura and Hinata agreed to heal the stranger's friend, his men went to work and buried the corpses of the bandits before relocating themselves far away from the open road and began setting up camp. The two women learned that the brunette man with red facepaint on his cheeks was named Kiba and the dark haired pony tailed man was Shikamaru. Kiba set up the campfire and retrieved water in buckets from the river, while Shikamaru went out to hunt for food. Sakura and Hinata helped set up a bed for the poisoned man, making him as comfortable as can be in the middle of the woods. The blond haired man was laid on his sleeping bag, with a rolled up towel to act as a pillow. Judging by his demeanor, Sakura assumed the dark haired man was the leader of the group. He disappeared shortly after everyone in his group assigned themselves a task; Sakura guessed he was setting up seals surrounding the campsite to hide the group under some sort of invisibility. Deciding to stay nearby the patient, Hinata thanked Kiba for the bucket of chill river water and soaked a cloth before placing it over the man's forehead. She then began fumbling through her pack for supplies she will need.

When she was sure Kiba wasn't looking, Hinata quickly used her byakugan and scanned the man's body for where the poison had spread. He was cut at the cheek, where the poison gradually began to spread. She checked his symptoms, he was turning very pale, he would gain consciousness for a few moments, but his words made no sense. He was hallucinating, and as amusing as his words were, Hinata knew she and Sakura would have a long night ahead of them. Once they were ready to begin his treatment, Sakura asked the patient's companions to hold their friend down while she extracted the poison. Waiting for her begin, the men watched as the pink-haired header focused her chakra on her hands and placed them on areas of the patient's body where most of the poison resided in. Her Chakra seeped into the man's body and was extracting the poison. As anticipated, the blond man felt a burning and slightly sharp pain in his body. He clenched his teeth and tried to jerk free from his group members as he tried to jerk free. Almost an hour later, Sakura had removed all the poison, and retired for a bit to relax. She had used a good deal of Chakra and had to rest, but in a little bit, she would crush the herbs and begin the antidote. Hinata took over, and began to clean the wound and bandage it. At the fire, a small pot of some dark substance was shimmering and Sakura poured some of the contents into a bowl and walked over to her patient. She handed the bowl to Hinata, who took every opportunity during the man's consciousness to feed him.

When they were done, the blond man slept peacefully. Hinata gave a silent sigh of relief as she watched him sleep. Sakura walked over to the horses and placed her supplies back into the saddlebag and looked at the men surrounding the campfire. Kiba was cooking the rabbits that Shikamaru hunted, while Shikamaru layed lazily against a tree looking up at the night sky. The man who Sakura had yet to find out his name was sitting by the campfire with his eyes closed, arms crossed, and seemingly deep in thought. She walked over to the men, who simply looked up at her,

"We successfully removed the poison, and my companion is done fixing up his wound. Let him rest until morning. I'm more than confident that he is fully healed, but I'll check in the morning again just to be fully sure." Kiba and Shikamaru thanked the two, while their leader just nodded. Sakura assumed that was his way of thanks. Before Sakura turned to retire into her sleeping bag, Kiba's voice stopped her,

"Hey, the two of you should join us! We got plenty of rabbits to share." Sakura gave the man a grateful and summoned Hinata over. The two women sat alongside the men at the campfire and ate. Conversations went on here and there, but there were also moments where they ate in silence.

"Will you two be late seeing your next patient in Hana, because of us?" Kiba asked, Hinata shook her head,

"No, we planned on being a day early. So rather than being early, we will just be arriving on time." Curiosity getting the better of her, Sakura then took to opportunity and asked, "What are men riding horses with the queen's seal doing out in these roads? Before your plans took a turn when your friend became poisoned?"

Shikamaru tore into his rabbit meat and responded nonchalantly, "We are running an errand for the queen." Sakura tried to see if they were lying, and couldn't find a reason to not believe them. It must not have been a secret mission if the men were parading through roads and in towns in obvious gear of who there were. No undercover gear that made them blend into the crowd of towns as normal travelers. Since the men made no effort to conceal their work, Sakura found it harmless to ask,

"What is kind of mission? If you don't mind me asking." Kiba took a bite out of his rabbit, swallowed, and responded,

"We went to the country of Suna, as you know, the Island a bit south of this one. We went to deliver a message to the King of Suna. The Queen wants to arrange a time and place to discuss and propose a treaty of peace and alliance with them. Once gave them the message, and reported back to her, we were on our way home. You know how that mission ended. We got attacked by bandits, our friend got poisoned, and we rode through the nearest town to find a healer, and then failed. Finally, our group met the two of you."

Deeply interested, Sakura couldn't resist asking more questions, "In your opinion, do you think we will manage to gain that alliance with Suna? I know we have a slightly shaky relationship with them…" Kiba nodded,

"Our countries don't mean eye to eye on many things, like military methods, and whatnot. To bluntly put it, they think we're a country too used to peace and they underestimate the strength our forces. We think they are the country that would take any opportunity to attack a weakening country. Like how they wanted to attack the weakening Mizu, but stopped because they would then be messing with Mizu's ally, Kaminari*. We've had some strife with them, but luckily nothing large enough to strike war. Suna is a very prideful country, and because of that they hardly make many alliances. However, their forces are very impressive and would be a valuable asset in case Konoha ever went to war, which is why the Queen wants to form this alliance. In return, we can open trade relations with them, which would benefit them greatly because their land is quite barren and don't have much to trade. We give them supplies; they lend us their hand in battle, which is why I really hope they don't overlook the benefits they could gain from this. As you know, our country is rather abundant in resources, resources that Suna need and could use."

Hinata and Sakura listened silently. Kiba probably thought the two of them were just normal citizens who don't think too hard on other issues outside their world besides work and living for the next day. The two of them already knew a great deal of what was going on in their lands, Sakura only asked to see if the group knew anything that she didn't happen to be aware of. Her parents always taught her to keep up with what is going in the world and be knowledgeable. The information she gained now was that the Queen had initiated the alliance, something that was rumored on for a while now.

Kiba's light laugh caught their attention again, "…Anyways, I must be boring you ladies with a conversation topic like that! Please, tell us about yourselves!" Shikamaru's eyes flickered opened. He stared at Kiba,

"Forgetting your manners of introducing yourself first before asking about others?" He said nonchalantly. Kiba looked back at the women,

"He's right. Sorry! Where are my manners? I am Inuzuka Kiba of a lesser house in Uzumaki." Sakura and Hinata nodded, keeping composure. The two of them did not see what was coming next. Shikamaru spoke up next, "I am Nara Shikamaru of the Nara House."

Hinata's eyes widened. She kept her composure, but swallowed. Fear crept up slightly inside her, but she dared herself to stay composed and not ruin her cover. She had to make sure he did not find out who she was. Sakura forced herself to speak,

"I didn't think us common folk would ever have imagined running into the heir of the Nara house anytime soon," Sakura made her voice sound casual. She thought she heard a low scoff from the unidentified dark haired man. He scoffed as if he wanted to say that he didn't believe their cover at all. Sakura forced herself to not let her face falter. She was going to play it cool. It seemed as if Kiba and Shikamaru didn't seem to notice Sasuke, and kept the conversation going.

"I'm not the highest ranked person in this group," Shikamaru muttered before decided to sit straight up and take his share of the rabbit meat. There was a slight silence, before the mysterious dark-haired man spoke up,

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke of the Uchiha House," he greeted expressionlessly. Sakura raised her eyebrows while Hinata stood incredibly silent.

"Today must be our lucky day," Sakura lightly commented. Was she crazy or did he look as if he trying to figure out some secret behind her eyes? He said nothing as he just stared straight at her. His eyes darted to the blond and then his face looked contemplative. Kiba decided to speak up again,

"If only Naruto was conscious to introduce himself," he joked. Sasuke sighed, and finally looked apathetic. Knowing his closest friend very well, the fool would just recklessly tell anyone he met who she was. Concealability was not his strength. There was no point in keeping his identity hidden, for the two mysterious women would find out soon enough. He faced the women,

"The man you just healed is the heir of the Uzumaki House, and he can be next in line for the throne."

_Kaminari*__ = lightning_

_**A/N: **__This is probably the shortest chapter ever. Sorry guys! I'll write for the next one.____I'm so excited for this fic! You guys are so sweet. The reviews and notification of story alerts were very encouraging, and it gives me the motivation to keep going at this fic. Thanks _


	3. Chapter 3

**-Lady of the Fifth House-**

**By: Applesofwrath**

**Chapter Three**

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><p><em><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>__ Naruto is property belonging to Masashi Kishimoto. Neither am I claiming_ _any of Naruto's content nor writing a fanfic for profit. Please don't sue me and support the actual release._

_**Summary:**__A talented healer with an unknown background and an exiled heiress travel all over the land to use their skills for the good of others. Soon they are faced with challenges where they face the past and bring glory to their houses._

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><p>"…This man is <em>the<em> Naruto of the Uzumaki House?" Sakura gasped. Hinata's eyes turned to the ground and stayed there, she resisted the urge to fumble with her fingers. What were the chances that the two women would run into the possible regent of their country, in the middle of nowhere? The patient they happened to do a good deed for, was a man who could possibly become their king? Keeping up their cover, Sakura just forced herself to raise her eyebrows,

"Well… It was a good thing he survived that poison," Sakura joked. She didn't mean to pull out a joke, but the words just flowed from her mouth. She immediately regretted letting herself be taken by surprise. Kiba just laughed, not noticing Sakura's nervousness.

"Yeah, with all the danger that nut puts us through, it's a good thing he has some sort of luck escaping death!" Sakura laughed along, and Hinata followed suit. Sakura quickly changed the topic,

"Well, it is nice to meet all of you. I am Naoko and this is my partner, Suzu," Sakura lied, resuming their alias that the two of them have been using all throughout their journey, "We are both from a very small village on the coast of Nara. We attended a shinobi academy there, but after graduation, we decided that medicine was our path in life. We have been travelling since we were nineteen, going from village to village, helping the sick," Sakura was confident that the men will fall for their story. The two women have practiced this life story over and over to many people they came across.

Kiba nodded in pure interest. Shikamaru and Sasuke just sat there listening with expressionless eyes, Sakura couldn't tell if they were buying their life story, but she had to keep up her act and pretended not to notice.

"We're glad we were of service to a member of the royal family," Sakura gave her sincerest smile. That part wasn't a lie, at least.

It was faint, but she heard Sasuke scoff to himself as he stood up and walked into the woods. Shikamaru noticed Sasuke leave the conversation, turned the girls, and excused himself. Only a sleeping Naruto, Kiba, Sakura, and Hinata remained by the fire.

"Is something wrong with your superior?" Sakura turned to Kiba, who just shook his head.

"Don't mind him; he likes to jump in and out of conversations. He always goes off by himself into the woods whenever we camp out. It's his time alone to think, I guess," Kiba shrugged. Kiba decided to keep chatting with the two women.

"I take it you like the idea of Naruto becoming King? Rather than Tsunade's other candidates?" Sakura took a moment to sort her thoughts before speaking them. Luckily, Kiba didn't seem to think she and Hinata were anyone suspicious. He wouldn't take anything they said too seriously. He talked to the Uzumaki heir as if he was a close commoner friend, not a king. It was a strange thing to hear. It looked as if the conversation was going to take another political turn. It was time to act oblivious. They were just two simple minded healers with no ideas of the royal world.

"The two of us don't keep up the news much," Sakura replied. She kept her answer short and bland. Even though she knew full well what was going on in Konoha, she had a disguise to maintain.

Kiba seemed to enjoy sharing his knowledge with the two ladies, "With no direct successor, Tsunade initially planned on giving the throne to her younger brother, but three years ago, Nawaki died from an unknown disease. She has no choice now but to decide on a regent."

"Is she barren?" Hinata quietly asked, deciding to be more active in the conversation.

Kiba nodded silently, "Unfortunately, yes. It's like what people say on the streets, the royal family is cursed when it comes down to producing a direct heir. King Hashirama refused to remarry or get a concubine after the death of his wife—No heir. Both of King Tobirama's sons died in battle—No heir. King Hiruzen's only son was assassinated, leaving Hiruzen to choose a near relative to be King. King Minato managed to leave an heir, but died shortly afterwards. His newborn was too young to rule, so the throne passed on our current queen, who cannot produce children. The Gods must be displeased with Konoha," Kiba joked.

"And now, Naruto is old enough to succeed the throne," Sakura finished. Kiba's voice warmed up and he grinned at the two women.

"Yes, he is," Kiba sipped his drink, "He doesn't look it, but he's born to lead. I never thought that cheeky moron I met years ago in Uzumaki, would turn out to be Minato's heir." Sakura and Hinata gave him a warm smile, they could they that Naruto comrade's cared deeply for him.

Kiba got up, "I think we all should get some sleep, I'll take the first watch." Sakura and Hinata nodded before walking over to the man named Naruto and setting up beds near his. Hinata pulled the blanket closer to Naruto's neck before lying next to Sakura's bed. The pinked haired woman's eyes slowly closed, her other senses heightened. All she could hear were the crickets and the crackles from the fire until she fell into deep sleep. A certain pair of dark eyes from across the campfire, observed the pink haired woman before falling asleep himself.

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><p>The next morning, Sakura and Hinata woke up to Kiba making breakfast. He had fishes cooking over the fire and a teapot ready to be passed around. They joined him in breakfast with Shikamaru and Sasuke. The two men were quiet as they ate their first meal, with Kiba striking conversation occasionally. About an hour later, Naruto woke up. The group turned to watch as Hinata quickly went to his side, helped him up and gave him plenty of water to drink. He was beyond weak, but his energy returned at an impressive level and he was louder than ever. Sasuke sighed as he finished his breakfast,<p>

"He should be poisoned again. I liked him better when he was silent." Sakura and Hinata giggled.

Once Naruto felt energized, he thanked the two women multiple times and instantly flirted with Hinata, which only caused her to blush tomato red. Sakura mentally chucked to herself watching Hinata be all flustered and nervous around the man. The healers check Naruto again before finally deciding that he was ready to ride for home and gave him further instructions for full recovery. Now that Naruto was strong enough to continue his journey, and Sakura claimed he will be fine, it was time for the group to part ways. They gathered up camp and stood to say their goodbyes.

Naruto helded both of Hinata's hands in his, "I will never forget you, Suzu and what you did for me. You said you were from Nara? Well, if you ever stop by Uzumaki in your travels, please don't hesitate to visit Uzumaki Court! I know all the good places to eat in Uzumaki and we can-." He was cut short by an impatient Shikamaru who dragged him by the ear to his horse. Hinata just watched the blond be taken away and gave him a small wave.

Before Sakura was about to hoist herself on her horse, she was approached by the dark haired man. She turned to face Sasuke, and fell silent as he whispered into her ear,

"You may have fooled Naruto and Kiba, but you haven't fooled me. You are not what you say you are and I'm very sure our paths will cross again," Sakura froze and tried not to give Sasuke a facial expression that could make her look shaken, but she was failing. She said nothing as he backed away and headed towards his horse.

Sasuke just turned back to nod 'Goodbye,' before leading his group towards the road. The two women waved goodbye, before turning their horses the opposite direction. When Sakura could no longer see the men, she turned to Hinata who lead the way and the two headed towards their destination. With Hinata in front of her, she couldn't see Sakura's face crumble with slight worry. She couldn't tell Hinata that their act didn't fool Sasuke, it would only cause Hinata to worry.

* * *

><p>Four hours later, Sakura and Hinata arrived in the town of Hana. They placed their horses in their inns stable and checked into their rooms. They couldn't wait to sleep on comfortable beds. As soon as they washed up, they ate a late lunch at the bar next to the inn. Once energized, they located their patient, who didn't live terribly far from the place they were staying. The woman had not gone into labor yet, but the two prepared the house for a home birth.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN**__: I'm still alive! Sorry for the long delay! I haven't given up on this story, don't worry!  
><em>


	4. Chapter 4

**-Lady of the Fifth House-**

**By: Applesofwrath**

**Chapter Four**

* * *

><p>About two months have passed since Sakura and Hinata encountered Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Kiba. For the most part, Sakura had forgotten about Sasuke, due to being increasingly busy. However, at the end of their day and the two women would crawl into their beds, Sakura's mind couldn't help but to wander off to the mysterious successor of Uchiha. Her mind would echo the last words he uttered to her for a few minutes before her exhaustion overtook her and caused her to fall into deep sleep. The women have decided to extend their stay at Hana—staying at a friendly little inn in the center of the town. Normally, they would stay less than a month for each town or village but Hana was in such a poor condition, they decided to devote another month for the village. A good number of people were getting ill from some illness that had been spreading around. The problem was controlled when the locals realized that the well that had been their water source that been contaminated. Their workload increased when a nearby mine experienced a collapse and all healers were called to help heal the injured.<p>

One afternoon after a long day, Sakura walked back to the inn. When she opened the door to their hotel room, she noticed a falcon sitting on the windowsill. She took off her bandana and approached the waiting bird too see that the falcon was actually a messenger bird. Her eyes caught the scroll attached to the falcon's body and the words "Sakura" inscribed on it. She gently removed the scroll from the bird and began pacing around the room as she read it.

_Sakura,_

_There will be a gathering in four weeks at the Queen's Palace in the royal city and all nobles are to attend. We have been informed by the Queen that this gathering will be the night of our official debut. I hate to cut your healing journey short, but we knew this day had to come eventually where you will have to present yourself as a noble. Please attend, for your father and I would like the others to formally meet our successor. We know these sorts of gatherings are not your favorite, but I promise you can disappear after an hour or so. As much as we would love to see Hinata there, your father wanted me to warn you that the Hyuugas will definitely be in attendance there and we recommend her not to attend. Instead tell her that we recommend her to come stay at Haruno for a bit. We can arrange for her to meet up with some of our most trusted servants and some soldiers at the nearby harbor where she can aboard a ship heading for Haruno. Tell her to think over this suggestion. We would love to have Hinata stay at Haruno court again. _

_The two of you please take care,_

_-Mother_

As soon as she was done memorizing her parent's message, Sakura walked over to the fireplace and tossed the scroll into the fire. She watched the parchment darken and curl until the scroll was nothing but ashes. She turned to the falcon, which waited patiently for her next move. She grabbed a slice of cheese and some raw venison and left it in a bowl nearby the falcon, which soon walked over to it and began eating. She would have to wait for Hinata to come home to tell her the news—and a change of plans.

* * *

><p>Around sunset, Hyuuga Hinata walked into her hotel room to find her companion sitting at the table near the fireplace. Sakura looked up and gave her friend a warm smile before getting up. Hinata's eyes went to the dinner placed on the table,<p>

"Did you order our dinner? It seems I made it in time."

"Yeah, I got your usual. I didn't feel like eating bar food today, I hope you don't mind," Sakura shrugged.

"No no, I don't mind. I'm so tired, I don't care right now what I eat," Hinata said as she took off her vest and took down her hair. Her long indigo mane fell down her back.

"Come sit. Let's eat. I have something important to tell you," Sakura ushered. At this, Hinata walked over and sat at the chair across the table from Sakura. She sliced some venison and rice into her bowl and as she ate silently she looked at Sakura, waiting for Sakura to begin talking. Having Hinata's attention, Sakura began to speak,

"A messenger bird came in. The scroll was from my parents. They said there will be a ball at the royal palace in four weeks and I need to attend," Hinata nodded, listening intently.

"I'm going to have to put healing on hold since this ball will be Haruno's official debut and from that point on, I will be busy with all that political stuff that comes with it," Hinata kept nodding.

"My parents suggest that you stay in Haruno, while the three of us are attending the ball and staying the royal city for a few days. You will be safe there in Haruno Court, no one will suspect that you will be living there. The Hyuuga house will definitely be at the ball and in the royal city and taking you with us will only endanger you…" Sakura paused at observed Hinata. The heiress looked a bit disappointed but sighed as she swallowed her bite of food,

"We both knew this day was coming. Yes, I'll go and stay in Haruno for as long as needed. As soon as you are done and the coast is clear again, we'll resume our healing journey," Hinata nodded in agreement. There was a moment of silence, before Sakura decided to break it.

"I won't let you be taken back to Hyuuga," Sakura nodded fiercely.

"Thank you," Hinata smiled. The rest of their dinner went silent as the women focused on eating. Sakura made a mental note to herself to write back to her parents, to tell them of their answer.

* * *

><p>A few days went by until the two women were well ready to leave Hana. They hired a carriage that would take them to the sea port where they would meet up with a ship from Haruno. The women silently sat in their carriage, listening to the sounds of horseshoes hitting the road. They wore hooded cloaks over their simple cotton kimonos—the typical attire they wore when traveling in a discrete manner. Sakura's mind began to wander off from the passing landscape to a particular dark haired man. The royal ball was summoning all the high nobles of the country, meaning it is very probable that the Uchiha successor will be there too. Sakura sighed; she will have to run into Sasuke at the ball who will finally confirm his theory: <em>Kaori<em> is really in fact a noble. He probably will still feel some shock after he finds she isn't just a mere noble. The only plan Sakura had at the moment for dealing with Sasuke was to avoid him at the ball and play dumb—not the best plan Sakura has ever come up with, but it will do for now. Something told Sakura that there is an air of danger surrounding that Uchiha man, it made her wary, and yet drawn to it.

Her mind wandered next to Naruto—the heir of Uzumaki and possible regent. Though more approachable and friendly, Sakura had to keep her distance. Hopefully, Naruto wasn't too serious with flirting with Hinata. If not, Sakura could imagine it—him pestering her at the ball where a certain violet haired woman was. There was no way she can give out any leads to where Hinata was. Sakura's train of thought was cut short when Hinata's voice broke through,

"Are you worrying about running into Sasuke?" Sakura shook her head,

"I'm not exactly worried, more like I'm not looking forward to it," Sakura sighed, Hinata looked out the window and turned to Sakura,

"I think we are here."

"Good, I need to stretch my legs from the long ride," Sakura said as she pulled her hood over her head and Hinata did the same.

The carriage owner stepped out from his seat and opened the door for the two women. Hinata stepped out first and then Sakura. Sakura turned to pay the carriage owner who accepted her money and turned to leave. The two women approached the hazy dock and could see a large ship with a familiar flag hanging on the main topmast. The flag held the symbol of Haruno, a large empty circle. Sakura looked towards the dock to see a group of people approaching land. As they drew closer, Sakura recognized familiar faces, a man and woman, followed by dozens of servants and soldiers. Sakura and Hinata approached the group and as soon as the two sides where within talking distance, the servants and soldiers of Haruno lightly bowed to their lady and her companion. The man and woman leading the group lifted their heads,

"My lady… Arrangements have been made for Lady Hinata to be safely escorted to Haruno," the man spoke, Sakura nodded,

"Thank you, Hiroyuki," Sakura smiled. She turned to the servant woman next to him,

"Megumi, I would like to see Hinata off before we head towards the royal city," Sakura ordered. Megumi just nodded while Hinata and Sakura faced each other.

"Remember, you can help yourself to everything at Haruno Court. I'll send you a message updating you about the ball. I don't know when but wait for my message telling you it is safe to come back to the mainland," Sakura said as she hugged her friend.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be perfectly safe. Have fun at the ball, and keep your wits about you," Hinata hugged back. They pulled apart and Sakura nodded. She then turned to Hiroyuki who ushered Hinata towards the ship. Sakura, Megumi, and the remaining of their handful of servants and soldiers watched as the large ship set sail for her homeland. Sakura turned to Megumi,

"Let us go to the royal city."

* * *

><p>A week had passed since Sakura parted with Hinata. The pink-haired woman spent her week exploring the royal city; there she did some shopping at the markets, did some free healing work on the poor who couldn't afford it, and simply took the time to relax. After the week had gone by, she decided it was time to pay the Royal Palace a visit. Sakura and Megumi approached the large palace surrounded by beautiful gardens and a high wall. They past the gate and began to approach the main exterior court. After passing the guard and informing the Queen's main servant of her arrival, Sakura was lead through the well decorated corridors of the palace and finally arrived in front of the Queen's study. The servants ushered her in and closed the double doors after her, leaving Sakura and the Queen in privacy. Sakura gazed around the room. It was a well lit room with plenty of sunlight from large windows. There were many bookshelves lining the walls of the study. She looked over at the center to see a large desk with a beautiful older woman sitting behind it.<p>

She had long blond hair which was tied into simple pigtails—her usual hairstyle. Her honey colored eyes were fierce, her skin pale, and her breasts formed a large cleavage that peeked out of her expensive silk purple furisode**. **The Queen looked up from her desk and gave Sakura a very warm smile. She arose from her seat and walked over to the young heiress. Sakura bowed lightly and soon she was engulfed in a large hug from the Queen,

"It is so good to see you, Sakura! I know you've been traveling all over Konoha, healing the sick, but you really should visit me more often!" They pulled apart and Sakura returned a smile,

"It is so good to see you too, sensei. I have so much to tell you about my travels with Hinata."

"Speaking of her, where is she?" Tsunade looked concerned,

"She's in Haruno. She is safe there," Sakura assured. Tsunade nodded and then ushered her over to the low table. The two women sat down and Tsunade summoned a servant to bring them some tea. Once the servant poured the two ladies tea, she left the room leaving the two women alone to talk in private.

* * *

><p>A few days before the ball, Sakura's parents finally arrived at the palace. Tsunade's servants worked to take their luggage and make accommodations for their stay in one of the guest rooms. As soon as Sakura was informed of their arrival, she paused her reading and went out to go greet them. She ran into the arms of her mother and father who looked like they were glad to finally arrive at their destination. Sakura looked at her parents. Her father and mother were both had light blond hair and faded green eyes. It was a mystery how Sakura inherited her pink hair and vibrant green eyes, but according to their family history, some of their ancestors had these features as well.<p>

"Sakura darling, I hope you have taking good care of yourself during your long journey. You really should come home more often," Sakura's mother frowned as she kissed her daughter on the cheek.

"Ohh stop it, Nadeshiko," Sakura's father chuckled, "You know Sakura has an adventurous soul."

"Mother, father you should come inside the palace. The Queen is expecting to see you. Come," Sakura suggested.

"Lead the way," Sakura's father responded.

* * *

><p>The Harunos spent the next remaining days at the palace. The three of them did various activities with the Queen. They would have dinners together talking over a vast array of topics from politics to conversations for good laughs. During the daytime, Sakura's mother would drink tea with the Queen while Sakura's father joined some of Tsunade's guards in the palace woods hunting. Time went by fast, and as soon as they knew it, it was the morning of the ball. The palace workers have been in rushing around the palace like busy drones preparing decorations, food, drinks, and helping the guests settle into their guest rooms. Word was spreading through the corridors that the houses of Nara, Uzumaki, Hyuuga, and Uchiha have arrived, and servants quickly worked to make sure their guests were satisfied and comfortable.<p>

Haruno Sakura exited Tsunade's study. The pink haired woman couldn't hear herself think with all this noise and bustling going on in the palace. She was fully aware that the ball was tonight, and this chaos among the servants was to be expected. She thought she could still find peace in quiet, staying in Tsunade's study, reading the many books in her library but she was proven wrong. She held the two books that interested her against her chest and began to walk down the corridor to the guest room she was staying in. She knew Tsunade wouldn't mind her borrowing her two of her books.

Sakura carefully walked around passing servants from the opposite direction of the hallways, being mindful of the things they were carrying and the pressing time they were under. She reached the balcony hanging over the large ballroom. A gasp escaped her lips as the spectacle before her astounded her. Hundreds of servants working in the ballroom, putting up decorations like candles and flowers while some other servants were setting tables and chairs and wiping down the large windows. She couldn't wait to see the final look of the ballroom once the party began. It occurred to her that this will be the first royal party she will attending. This sudden realization of truth only made her more excited about the party. Before she could begin walking towards the right wing of the palace, she spotted a familiar man walking up the stairs towards the balcony where she stood. Not wanting to deal with him at the moment, Sakura went to the doorway leading to the right wing of the palace. She leaned against the wall and watched the man from a good distance.

Uchiha Sasuke reached the top of the stairs with some of his servants and guards behind him. It didn't seem as if he saw her, which made Sakura breathe a sigh of relief. After watching him for a few more seconds, it was likely that the guest room that Sasuke was staying in was in the left wing. Once he was out of sight, she peeled herself away from the wall she was leaning against and headed deeper into the right wing. Once she reached her guest room, she greeted her guards who were standing by the door and entered her room.

Megumi was seen placing several different colored kimonos on the bed. Once she saw her lady, she rushed over to her, and as Sakura expected, Megumi began fussing,

"My lady, where have you been? The ball will officially start in two hours and you haven't even taken a bath!" Sakura gave her a carefree shrug, which unintentionally annoyed Megumi more,

"Sorry, Megumi-san. I was reading a really interesting book—." She was silenced by the unmerciful servant.

"Enough, we must get you ready. Oh, you always do this to me! You give me so little time to get you fully ready. You have leaves in your hair! Did you go into the woods again? I'm going to have to ask Rumi and Makino to help me… Hopefully one of them won't be too busy helping Nadeshiko-sama…"

As Megumi was left to her own concerns and thoughts, Sakura walked over to the selection of kimonos that Megumi had picked out for her. They were made of the finest silk and the details on them were flawless. They were all really fine quality furisodes and it was just a matter of picking a color and then matching hair accessories.

Sakura eyed through all of them and then turned to Megumi,

"I think I would like to wear aqua for tonight."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I have good news! I have a clear idea how the story will end. I wrote out the full outline and all. I can't wait to hear what you guys think of this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

**-Lady of the Fifth House-**

**By: Applesofwrath**

**Chapter Five**

* * *

><p>Uchiha Sasuke took a deep breath as he followed his parents and brother down the hall of the royal palace. They had just left their quarters after their servants prepared them for the party. Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto were dressed in matching burgundy kimonos embroidered with the finest beads and threads. The gloomy younger heir was expecting this ball to be no different than the many others he has attended before. It was just another night of putting forth his best appearance and manners as a representative of the Uchiha House. He'll go in, chat with other house nobles similar in rank about the usual topics—recent taxes, his stance on current issues, anything to display his intelligence and potential strength as a leader. He wasn't fond of the idea of mingling with the lesser house nobles, unless he had anything to gain from them.<p>

Lastly, he kept a mental note that he needed to keep an eye out for potential marriage opportunities. Now that Sasuke turned twenty years in age, it was time for him to look for a wife and continue his family line. Hopefully, to a woman of high rank who could help strengthen Uchiha with her connections. Unfortunately for Sasuke, none of the girls he's met have so far have interested him. Although the matter of the connections the women possessed is a strong factor, he had to also keep in mind he would be stuck with her for life once wedded. He met plenty of women with impressive rank but found them annoying, unintelligent, or severely unattractive. His future wife is out there somewhere. He wanted to believe that this ball may be different than the others he has attended and fate may bring him and her together but his pessimism disagreed.

Sasuke looked over at his older brother who stood close by. Uchiha Itachi was a taller man with the same obsidian eyes that ran in the Uchiha clan. His medium length slate colored hair was in its usual fashion, a low ponytail. For the special occasion, the servant maids tied his hair in a small silk ribbon. His kimono was a dark blue, matching his younger brother. He resembled Sasuke in almost all physical ways, but carried a bit more of an aged grace demeanor and appearance. He was older than Sasuke by four years and yet he hasn't married. Itachi wasn't interested at all in marriage, to the frustration of their father.

Sasuke's eyes faced the end of the hall which would soon lead them to the ballroom. According to their father, there is a new house that will be joining the kingdom and tonight will be when the Queen formally introduces them to the nobles. Sasuke remembered his father mentioning this topic over meals months back. Apparently, it was some no name island off the eastern coast that not many people have traveled to. When the Queen embarked on a journey and visited their island, she was amazed by their advancements in science, the strength of their army, and superior medicine. Her majesty believed that they would be a great addition to the kingdom and proposed unification. As expected, some court members opposed the idea of 'a fifth house' which would change the country's traditional four united houses. Luckily for Tsunade, Konoha seemed to be going through a progressive era and majority of her court supported the unification. This landmark event was definitely a moment any noble would not dare miss.

As one of her majesty's trusted court members, Lord Uchiha Fugaku was not someone whose voice will go unheard. The old-fashioned and calculating head of Uchiha was skeptical towards this idea, but by the end he supported it, claiming it was for the Konoha's growth. Lord Nara Shikaku was apathetic but ultimately voted for the unification; Lord Jiraiya of Uzumaki supported the idea from the start, and Lord Hyuuga Hiashi was against the idea.

A side benefit to gain from this unification is that apparently the new house has a daughter—an heiress—who was of marrying age. Any ambitious noble would view this as a golden opportunity for one of his sons. When Lord Fugaku mentioned this over dinner, his eldest son held the usual disinterest while his youngest nodded in agreement. As exceptionally gifted as Itachi was, his stubbornness was his vice. Sasuke hoped that his eagerness to please his parents would help him stand out from Itachi's shadow. He knew what he needed to do. May fate guide him obtain his goals. Before the Uchihas stepped out into the ballroom, Sasuke took a deep breath and held his head high.

* * *

><p>The room was heavily decorated with flowers and ornaments—mostly yellow chrysanthemums, irises, morning glories, white poppies, and yellow poppies. Sasuke assumed that the flowers held some significant meaning to tonight's event, but couldn't recall what he learned. Lit Paper lanterns of all colors imaginable hung from the ceiling. The few hundreds of noble guests all dressed in colorful silk kimonos can be seen chatting away with other fellow nobles with drinks in their hands. Nearby the empty throne at the front of the room, five tables specifically reserved for the Konoha house heads and their families to be seated. As esteemed guests they were privileged to eat and drink by her majesty's side.<p>

Tsunade had yet to make her appearance down the grand stairs. In the meantime, the guests entertained themselves while waiting for the party's grand event to begin. As the Uchihas entered the room, many heads turned and guests made way for the famous family to pass through. Sasuke could feel their eyes on him as well, but just kept looking forward—he was used to this sort of attention.

Some lesser house noble whose name Sasuke forgot walked over to his mother and began chatting away with her. Itachi disappear and was nowhere to be seen. Lord Fugaku was at the opposite side of the room chatting with, whom Sasuke could make out from a distance, as Lord Jiraiya, Naruto's guardian father figure and steward of Uzumaki. Even from the distance, Sasuke could tell that white haird lord was already drunk and didn't seem to care for Fugaku seriousness in conversation. Knowing his father, it shouldn't take too long until the Fugaku will give up and head over to chat with the Nara house members nearby.

Sasuke noticed a familiar nearby blonde man his age that was mingling with a crowd on his left. Naruto stood formally dressed in his elegant orange kimono-his trademark color-holding a drink and talking lively to some unknown noble man. He was like some sort of sun that just shined light to any setting, bringing out the best of people. Naruto always held that admirable characteristic about him, something Sasuke truly lacked. The blonde man looked over to see his best friend watching him from the distance. The exuberant blond then waved and mouthed to Sasuke that he'll come over to talk to him soon. Sasuke nodded and moved on through the crowd.

"Uchiha-san,"

He was stopped by a familiar voice. The voice of a particular man he wasn't too fond of. Sasuke turned his body to face a fellow high noble in an indigo kimono. There stood a man of similar height, with a long dark hair tied back and striking silver eyes, Hyuuga Neji of the branch house of Hyuuga. Beside Neji was a brunette woman who was dressed in a simple pink furisode. She was a woman of average beauty, dark brunette locks tied into a simple updo and matching brown eyes. Neji gave a cool smile as he greeted  
>Sasuke,<p>

"Good evening."

Sasuke apathetically nodded at Neji and then turned to Neji's escort. She stood next to Neji as if she belonged there. The Uchiha prodigy could tell that they were some sort of close friends but wasn't entirely too sure. He didn't feel like paying much attention to the prideful Hyuuga man but at least he can be polite to any woman, as his mother taught him. Sasuke pushed his manners forward,

"I've seen you plenty of times with Hyuuga-san, but I've never formally met you. I'm Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke politely greeted. Sasuke was sure she wasn't from a noble household. It was most likely that she and her family served the Hyuugas—someone of peasant rank and with that he felt no obligation to kiss her hand like he would if she was a high noble. The brunette woman respectfully bowed lightly to Sasuke,

"I am Nakashima Tenten. Pleased to meet you," the brunette greeted. The brunette woman blushed slightly as she looked back up at the handsome Uchiha heir. Luckily for her, Sasuke did not notice as he turned his attention back to Neji.

"How is Uchiha?" Neji inquired. Sasuke couldn't help but feel that the smug Hyuuga didn't sincerely care about his affairs and he was just simply making small talk. Sasuke hated small talk but nonetheless, he didn't want to be rude.

"Uchiha is doing well… What about Hyuuga?"

"Hyuuga is also doing well… Hanabi has finished her education with the royal palace scholars. Uncle is very proud of her," Neji shared as he raised his glass to his lips. Pretending to be interested, Sasuke forced himself to smile lightly,

"Well, I'll congratulate her personally when I stop by Hyuuga sometime." Wanting to end the conversation at any opportune pause, Sasuke nodded at Neji and Tenten,

"If you'll excuse me… I think it is about time I get a drink," Sasuke said as he walked away.

Sasuke mentally breathed a sigh of relief as he walked over to the servants. He didn't want to be near Hyuuga Neji more than he needed to be. Once he reached the bar, he ordered a servant to pour him a glass of his favorite wine. As soon as he obtained his glass, Sasuke felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see a grinning Naruto, who threw a friendly arm around Sasuke's shoulder and led him to the back wall where a lone Shikamaru stood. The Nara heir usual ponytail was turned into an elegant top knot and he sported a rich olive colored kimono.

"Good to see you, Sasuke," Shikamaru greeted as he raised his glass to the Uchiha heir. Shikamaru breathed a deep sigh before scratching the back of his head,

"I'd rather be home during a nice night like this… But heir duty calls… Mother wouldn't let me miss tonight's event," Shikamaru sighed as he took a drink from his glass. Sasuke couldn't understand Shikamaru's apathetic nature. Being acquainted with Shikamaru for years, Sasuke learned that Shikamaru wasn't much of an ambitious person. Naruto playfully nudged Shikamaru with his elbow,

"Where's your festive spirit? This party is full of great people!" Naruto enthusiastically beamed, "And I can't wait to meet the new heiress! Hopefully, she'll be better than the women Jiraiya has been introducing me to lately," Naruto groaned as he made a disgusted face. Sasuke chuckled at his best friend,

"Someone of your rank should marry high ranked woman… Even though there aren't many options." Shikamaru yawned,

"Why hasn't one of you pursued Hyuuga Hanabi? To my knowledge, she hasn't found a husband yet… And I'm sure your families would be thrilled to marry you off to the Hyuuga heiress…" Naruto crinkled his nose at Shikamaru, his whiskers wiggling,

"She's too young for me," Naruto said plainly before looking at Sasuke. At that moment, the Uchiha heir couldn't help himself from making a joke,

"… I don't want to be related to Neji," Sasuke smirked as he drank his glass. Shikamaru gave a chuckle while Naruto snickered behind his drink.

The blond perked up when he saw a familiar face among the crowd. He then turned to his two friends, "excuse me guys, but there's someone I want to talk to, be right back!" with that the blond disappeared into the crowd.

A second of silence fell upon the remaining two men. Shikamaru reached into his kimono and pulled out a long pipe. He looked at Sasuke,

"I'm going to step outside to smoke, want to come?" Shikamaru offered.

The Uchiha heir nodded and followed Shikamaru to the closest door leading to the garden. Right outside the ballroom was the Royal Garden. Although the Garden extended for many acres around the palace, the two men just stood outside not too far from the doors. Although they weren't terribly close, the two heirs held something in common—the sacredness of a tranquil moment. A well respected silence fell upon the two men as they enjoyed their moment of peace from the party.

Something in Sasuke began to bother him and he couldn't help but be deeply curious. He faced the Nara heir, who was clearly enjoying his pipe,

"Shikamaru…"

"Hmm?"

"Whatever happened to the elder Hyuuga heiress three years ago?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes in thought. Shikamaru let out a deep breath of smoke into the air and looked back at his friend,

"… I forgot that scandal even happened… Until you mentioned it just now… It's been awhile…" Shikamaru said as he coughed a bit. Sasuke couldn't help but press the subject further,

"Do you think maybe—"

Before Sasuke could finish, a loud drum was heard from the palace that echoed to the gardens. The two men knew what it meant: It was time for the Queen to enter the ballroom and for the party's main event to begin. Already forgetting their conversation, Shikamaru nodded his head towards the door from which they came from,

"C'mon, we got to get back. If I'm nowhere to be seen, I'm going to receive the lecture of my life from my troublesome mother," the lazy genius groaned as he began walking back. Sasuke looked up at the starry night one last time before following Shikamaru back to the party.

* * *

><p>The sound of a steady beating drum halted the many conversations going on in the ballroom. Heads turned towards the front of the room, to the top of the staircase where they awaited tonight's entrance of their Queen. The giant double doors opened. Lines and lines of male and female servants dressed in simple dark green kimonos burst through the doors and walked down the stairs. They carried decorated baskets of wine bottles, platters of roasted duck and boar, silver bowls, jars of water, and towels. The servants lined themselves against the wall in the front of the wall in an orderly presentation. Following the last of the servants were lines of male and female court musicians holding their flutes, drums, and stringed instruments. After the musicians positioned themselves against the peripheral walls of the rooms, multiple lines of her Majesty's most formidable royal soldiers entered the room. They divided into groups and scattered all over the room in particular locations—by the exits and entrances, nearby the Queen's throne chair, and by the reserved tables.<p>

Drums roared in a climatic overture as the Queen walked down the grand staircase in her vibrant silk green jūnihitoe and golden headpiece adored with many jewels. The ever beautiful Queen of Konoha smiled as she gazed upon the ballroom full of her guests. At the front of the crowd before her were all members of the four houses: Uzumaki, Hyuuga, Uchiha, and Nara. She could see Lord-Steward Jiraiya of Uzumaki, Lord Hiashi and Lady Hisae* of Hyuuga, Lord Fugaku and Lady Mikoto of Uchiha, and Lord Shikaku and Lady Yoshino of Nara. With them were Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Neji, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, and Nara Shikamaru.

Once Queen Tsunade approached her throne, she tapped her fan against her opposite hand and faced the crowd before her. Like waves being pulled towards the shore, row by rows of guests knelt down before their Queen.

Like everyone else in the room, Sasuke followed suit and knelt down on one knee before the Queen, his head down and eyes facing the floor. Once the Queen saw that everyone had bowed, she finally spoke

"Please stand," she simply commanded. Without hesitation, the room obeyed. Silence fell upon the ballroom, guests were eager to hear the words of their Queen. Tsunade's red painted lips curled into a smile before speaking in a thunderous voice.

"My loving people… It is wonderful to see all of you here tonight… I am thrilled to have you join me for this historical moment and celebration." The crowd gave applause,

"Long live the Queen!"

Two servant men appeared and positioned themselves next to the Queen. One of them carried a large scroll on his back. The two men then unrolled the scroll and then held it up for the crowd to see. In large letters, read:

_Under the Fire God's will, we, the house of Haruno, pledge our absolute allegiance to the Kingdom of Konoha and its leader. Year 1440, under the reign of Queen Tsunade._

The crowded applauded as they gazed at the written alliance inscribed with black ink. The servant men then rolled up the scroll carefully and carried it out of the ballroom with the escort of some royal guards. The crowd turned their eyes back to Tsunade.

"Tonight is a night where an alliance has been forged and a friendship has been made! Allow me to present to you, the newest house under of our kingdom—The House of Haruno!" She announced as she raised her hand towards the top of the stairs. The audience looked up at the top of the stairs and held their breaths as the large doors opened slowly.

Sasuke turned his gaze over to where the guests of honor would enter. There was nothing interesting to Sasuke about seeing the new Lord and Lady of Konoha's Houses. What he really was interested in was seeing their daughter. First entered a middle-aged blond couple dressed in matching plum kimonos adorned with gold colored beads and thread. The man had his hair tied back in a simple braid and wore glasses. His wife was a pale woman with her blond hair tied up in a braided updo with a flower accessory. The Lord held his lady's hand as they walked gracefully down the stairs. Following them shortly was a shorter woman dressed in a beautiful aqua furisode. From a distance, Sasuke could see that she had a slim figure and pale skin. She walked with grace along with her parents—evident that she has been taught to carry herself in that manner since a young age, the usual training for young high noble women. Unfortunately her face was covered with a long red veil that covered her entire head so Sasuke couldn't see her face. He was approving of what he was seeing so far but couldn't wait to see her face.

It is tradition in Konoha that when a noble woman comes of age, which is eighteen, her parents hold a party to formally introduce her to the people and celebrate her steps into adulthood. The noble girls are to cover their face with a red veil until she is announced. The red veil symbolized fertility—a valuable asset a future bride can offer her suitors. Since the Haruno heiress did not have a traditional coming of age celebration prior to the unification, the Queen must have suggested for her to bear the garment on the unification celebration to further advertise a marriage opportunity. In her hands, she carried a bundle of white lilies—the symbol of chastity.

The new house members reached the bottom of the stairs and then went towards where Tsunade stood. They approached the Queen, their backs turned towards the audience and all three of them knelt down to their knees. The crowd watched curiously as to what the Queen will do next.

The mysterious Haruno heiress was not too far in front of him. The girl knelt down beside her parents, her covered head down as if she was looking at the floor. He could smell her perfume. She smelled of plums. Sasuke tried to make out her face through the red veil, but couldn't seem to do so. Sasuke looked over at Naruto who was standing next to Jiraiya. The blond heir of Uzumaki bore a face that was clearly impatient and bored. It shouldn't be too much longer until she unveils herself.

"Haruno Tsubaki, Haruno Nadeshiko, Haruno Sakura," the queen spoke, "Konoha and I salute you. Let us drink to this alliance! Please stand!" As the Queen gave permission for the family to stand, a servant man walked over to the Queen with a tray. The tray contained two glasses and a bottle of wine. As the family got off from their knees, the servant man handed to each the Queen and Haruno Tsubaki a glass. He poured them equal amounts of wine before dismissing himself from the front of the crowd. Haruno Nadeshiko and Sakura watched as Tsubaki was about to drink with the queen to seal the treaty. Tsunade raised her drink to the new lord,

"Let us drink to this alliance!" she announced. Raising his glass to meet hers, Lord Tsubaki spoke for the first time,

"…To an alliance," he agreed, "between Haruno and Konoha!" They both consumed the drinks and the audience crowd bursted into thunderous applause.

"Long live the queen!" The crowd chanted. Tsunade then faced the crowd once more,

"Since Haruno is now a house of Konoha, they have agreed to indulge in some of our traditions. Haruno Sakura is of marrying age and has not had a coming of age celebration yet," Tsunade ushered Sakura walk over to the front of the room. The girl in the red veil walked calmly beside her Queen and stood next to her.

Two servant girls appeared and each stood by Sakura's side. Sasuke held his breath as the two women held both ends of the girl's red veil, ready to expose her. This was it; this was the woman Sasuke is supposed to court. He was finally going to see who she is.

"May the God of Fire bless her with marriage and fertility," Tsunade prayed aloud. With that, the servant girls slowly unveiled her. Inch by inch Sasuke saw more and more of her face. She had porcelain with a slender neck. Her chin was perfect and her lips very painted a faint cherry red. Her nose was small but well proportioned.

What Sasuke saw next shocked him. The veil unfolded to reveal familiar large sea foam eyes with supple dark long lashes. Her bangs were a pale pink color and once the red veil was completely removed from her head, everyone could see that she had pale pink hair that was styled in an updo. Jade accessories protruded from her hair and matched her eyes. The Uchiha heir couldn't believe it. Right there almost close in front of him was the same girl from months back when Naruto got poisoned. He knew she wasn't what she seemed. He guessed she was some noble girl who ran away from home, but it turned out she is in fact the heir to the Haruno House—and the woman he has to court!

He starred at her with his jaw dropped. Her eyes flickered as they scanned the audience. Her green orbs stopped and looked directly at him. Her eyes widened when her eyes found Sasuke. For a second, the two stared at each other. No one seemed to notice that their gazes were connected. Sakura saw the apparent shock on Sasuke's face and her lips curled into a sincere yet devious smile.

* * *

><p>Hyuuga Hisae* is Hinata and Hanabi's mother. Her name is unknown in the series, so I just threw in a random name so I didn't have to dubb her unknown.<p>

_**Author's Note:**__** Okay so yeah it's a late update... I hope you guys enjoy. I've been uber busy with school and other life stuff. Feel free to PM me messages about updating the fic, it will get my ass moving faster. Today I sat down with 3 cups of coffee and declared to myself I will not sleep until I finish this chapter draft and post it. Btw, I really recommend you guys to slim down the page to 3/4 or 1/2 at the top. It looks more like a book chapter AND makes it look like I wrote a ton (which I actually did). **_

_**Try listening to Chitose Hajime's "Haru no katami" while reading this fic. I think it fits nicely somehow. Like if this fic had a soundtrack, that song would be a part of it. Please review!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**-Lady of the Fifth House-**

**By: Applesofwrath**

**Chapter Five**

* * *

><p>Haruno Sakura put on her best smile and effort as she tried to greet all the other guests eager to meet her. She was beginning to lose track of names as they seem to keep coming-Young men and women from lesser houses eager to gain the attention of the beautiful and powerful heiress. The heiress sincerely wanted to meet each and everyone, just not at this rate! Luckily, the Queen noticed the swarm around her protégé and proposed a ball room dance. The pink haired woman sighed in relief as she, the queen, and a bunch of nobles joined the floor in a dance. Sakura glanced around the ballroom before the dance began. Her mother has been paired up with Lord Shikaku of Nara and her father has been paired up with the Queen. From her lessons, ballroom dances are opportune times to converse with other nobles. Lord Shikaku will probably personally welcome Sakura's mother to the 5 houses and the Queen probably wants the first dance with the main guest of honor. A cheerful voice broke Sakura out of her thoughts.<p>

"May I have this dance, Sakura-chan? Can I call you 'Sakura-chan'?" Naruto said as he flashed her a cheeky smile and held out his hand. Sakura giggled and took his waiting hand,

"Of course and yes, you can call me that," Sakura smiled. The blond man hasn't changed, in both formal settings and outside, he was still the cheeky man she met when Hinata and she cured him of poison. It made her laugh inside, remembering him being enamored with Hinata. But of course, she will still be known as 'Suzu' to him. The dance began and she let Naruto take lead, as she had been taught in her dance lessons. She was still getting used to foreign traditions of Konoha, but she was enjoying it as she was immersing herself in its culture.

Thankfully, Sakura mastered the many ballroom dances taught to her when she studied to be a member of the royal houses, so she felt confident that she and Naruto looked flawless as they moved to the music. Some combination of Koto, Shamisen, and a flute played in the background by the servants. Sakura noticed as Naruto spinned her that many eyes were on her and Naruto. Some guests were sitting back, drinking Sake while conversing.

"It's funny how we meet again," Naruto spoke as they moved. Sakura raised a curious eyebrow,

"What do you mean?"

"I never imagined that the girl who saved my life, would later show up being the heiress of the new country. I don't blame you for keeping your identity a secret though, I have to do that sometimes too just to get out for a bit," Naruto said in an understanding tone. Sakura sympathized for Naruto, being a potential regent for Konoha's crown must be a rough life to carry.

"Well, now you know my secret," Sakura shrugged. Naruto instantly smiled,

"Hehe! Hey! Is Suzu around? I was hoping to meet her again!" Sakura frowned,

"No, sorry. She isn't with me," Sakura decided to stop it at that. There was no need for her to explain about Hinata to Naruto or to anyone in this palace. Naruto gave a defeated sigh,

"Oh well… When you see her again, tell her I said 'Hello' and that I'm hoping she could come visit Uzumaki one day!" Sakura giggled,

"I'll make sure to tell her."

The dance ended, and it was time to change partners. As soon as Naruto kissed Sakura's hand and left her side to move on to his next partner, three overeager lesser house noble men approached Sakura for the next dance. Sakura was about to panic before a tall, dark familiar man pushed through the three eager boys and approached her. The three boys look as they took offense as Uchiha Sasuke ignored them held out his hand to Sakura,

"May I have this next dance?"

She looked up at the Uchiha heir. Instead of the armor he wore when she first met him, he looked clean and shaven in his dark blue silk kimono. His obsidian black eyes were still very captivating, and like always, she had a hard time reading them. It was incredibly tempting, Sakura always found Sasuke attractive and at the same time, she really didn't feel like dealing with the three lesser noble boys. She gave him a devious smile as she placed her porcelain skinned hand into his larger rough hand.

Sasuke led her into the dance floor again and soon the music started. As they moved to the music, Sasuke spoke in a sarcastic tone,

"So _Naoko_," he emphasized, we meet again." Sakura couldn't help herself as she let out a soft laugh, but sasuke looked unamused and confused,

"Oh stop, I had my reasons to lie about my identity," Sakura said in a carefree tone. Sasuke couldn't understand this woman. How can she be so carefree as an important political figure in Konoha? Sasuke cleared his throat,

"You look much better in that furisode than in those rags you were wearing months ago." Sakura hid a blush as she turned away,

"Thank you, but I must say those simple cotton kimonos are quite comfortable," Sakura admitted frankly. Sasuke let out an unamused scoff,

"I am afraid I cannot say the same thing about that heavy armor I was wearing," Sakura flashed him a flirtatious smile,

"I actually liked that armor on you. You looked quite handsome a little scruffed up and dirty." Sasuke could help but enjoy her flirting with him. This was a good thing for Sasuke—winning the affection of the Haruno heiress. Only a fool wouldn't be drawn to such an intelligent, influential, and beautiful flower.

The music was beginning to end, and Sasuke knew it will be time soon to switch partners, he decided to be more direct,

"I'm sure you are aware of how wanted you are by each young eligible male in this ballroom…"

"Of course I am," Sakura nodded but looked away. Unbeknownst to her current dance partner, marriage was the last thing on her mind. She looked away from Sasuke for a moment and noticed a pair of silver eyes watching her. Getting a bit nervous, she turned her attention back to Sasuke. The music stopped and the two of them let go of each other. Sasuke reached for Sakura's hand and kissed it. Sakura felt her head feel a bit hot.

"Well, I hope you consider me as a potential candidate for marriage. Let's dance again sometime," with that, Sasuke walked away, leaving the usually calm and collected Sakura breathless.

* * *

><p>Sakura knew the dances were to continue, but she was feeling thirsty. She headed over to one of the tables and poured herself a drink. She felt the cool wine touch her throat, hoping it would ease her nerves a bit. Sasuke always seems to shake her up, but she needed to keep her façade going for tonight. She turned to face an almost familiar face. She thought it was Sasuke, but when she looked closer, it wasn't. A taller, dark haired man with a ponytail approached her and gave her a smirk,<p>

"You turned out lovelier than how the rumors described you. Are the women of Haruno as lovely as you? I would love to visit Haruno sometime."

Why were all Uchiha men so attractive? Sakura cursed. She was going to need more of this wine to make it through this night. She smiled back at the Uchiha,

"You are too kind, thank you. Are you related to Sasuke?"

"I am his older brother," the man responded as he held out his hand, "Pleased to meet you, Haruno-san, I am Uchiha Itachi." Sakura gave her hand and he kissed it,

"May I join you? I wanted a drink as well." Being bold again, Sakura ordered a servant to fetch her and Itachi two glasses and a fresh sake,

"Certainly."

The two sat down at the corner of a table pouring each other a drink as the party began to wind down. No one seemed to want to dance anymore, and now everyone was at a table conversing and drinking. The Queen had already disappeared—probably went to bed. Sakura ignored the world as she and Itachi talked,

"So tell me about your land," Sakura inquired.

"What do you want to know?" Itachi asked back. Sakura hiccupped but didn't tone down her curiousity,

"How is the house doing? What are your plans as an heir? What is your house known for? What is Sasuke like?"

Itachi chuckled, "Are you taken with by brother?" Sakura grabbed the bottle and poured Itachi another drink,

"I honestly don't know… I'm intrigued by him but I don't know him that well."

"He's a good brother and good man," Itachi nodded with pride. Sakura smiled as she took a sip from her own glass,

"That's good. In fact, he hinted at me to marry him," Sakura chuckled, "and depending on how good of a husband he'd make, I might take him up on that." Itachi poured the pink-haired woman another drink,

"You would make a great addition to the Uchiha Clan, but it's a shame you are taken with Sasuke and not me," he joked. Being a bit tipsy, Sakura playfully tapped his shoulder,

"Oh I'm still weighing my options! Don't give up yet! Although, marriage is not something that's on my mind right now!" She giggled. Itachi raised an eyebrow curiously,

"What is on your mind then?" Sakura's face turned a bit more serious,

"Can you tell me the darker details of each house? I want to be more aware of what's going on now that my clan is a part of this country." Itachi put down his glass and looked around to see if anyone was listening in on their conversation. He whispered to the pink-haired woman,

"The Uzumaki House has a sad story to it. The family was once linked to the royal house when Lord Minato became next in line for the throne. Lord Minato is Naruto's deceased father. When Lord Minato and Lady Kushina died, they left the house to Jiraiya. Jiraiya's title is 'Lord-Steward' as you probably have noticed. He is the godfather of Naruto and promised the old lord to take care of the estates until Naruto is of age to inherit it. He should be inheriting the estate sometime this year. It's also possible for Naruto to next in line for the throne," Itachi explained. Sakura was in awe,

"I think Naruto will make a wonderful king," Sakura said as she took a sip. Itachi nodded,

"I think so too, and I wouldn't mind serving under him."

"What about Nara?"

"That house was always been known for its intelligence and apathy. Nothing too much really occurs in the Nara house," Itachi simply stated.

"The House of Hyuuga?"

Itachi chuckled, "Our rival house. They are not known for pacifism, but their house has a sad story behind it too. The house is severely divided due to their old traditions. Their house is divided into the main sector and branch sector. Lady Hinata and Hanabi are the main sector heiresses, but Lady Hinata has been exiled for years now. It's an old story that almost everyone forgot."

Sakura clenched her teeth as she listened to Itachi speak of Hinata's name.

"And the unfortunate Neji is the branch sector heir, meaning he will inherit nothing but servitude towards the main sector," Itachi sighed. Sakura looked up at Itachi,

"As arrogant as he, he would have made a better leader than both those main sector heiresses combined," Itachi admitted. Sakura looked down at her drink. So maybe Hinata wasn't born to be a leader, but was it necessary for her own family to exile her? Sakura took another sip of her wine. Itachi continued, but noticed Sakura's discontent,

"As for the Uchiha Clan, we have a dark past too. As powerful of a house we are that can compare to the power of the Hyuuga House, we have our own sort of discontent." Sakura's curiosity felt really tickled,

"How so?"

"Well, to be honest, for the past recent years, father has been disappointed in me and Sasuke is more favored to inherit the house. I'm too stubborn for them to control I guess," Itachi smirked as he finished his drink. Sakura reached for the Sake bottle, but Itachi stopped her,

"I think I've drank enough tonight—You've also drank enough tonight," He said in a husky voice. Sakura nodded. Before the Uchiha got up to return to his quarters, he grabbed Sakura's hand and kissed it.

"What I said about the Uchiha house, keep it between us if you don't mind. However, if you really care about my brother, and I think you do… Ask him about the clan and be there for him later," Itachi said as his lips pressed her soft skin. Sakura didn't felt like pressing the matter, so she gave him a firm nod,

"I promise, Itachi-san."

"Good girl."

* * *

><p>Sakura yawned softly as she left the ballroom and walked up the stairs to the wing where she was staying at. The alcohol was wearing off, thankfully so she won't be going to bed feeling a bit sick. She just wanted to slip into her covers with her aqua silk furisode, but knew that wasn't such a good idea for expensive attire. Her servants would give her hell for that. She reached the beginning of the wing where she and her family was staying.<p>

She clenched her fist and grabbed the kunai she hid in her furisode. She spoke with warning in her voice,

"I don't like being followed, show yourselves!"

There was a moment of silence before two individuals showed up out of nowhere. The two of them were definitely trained as ninjas. Sakura turned to face a man with long dark hair and silver eyes who was accompanied by a woman with brown hair tied in two buns. Both of them were still in their formal attire and seemed to not look for a fight.

Confident her followers aren't following to kill, Sakura lowered her kunai, but didn't let go of it either. Sakura narrowed her eyes,

"Why are you two following me?"

"We know you are linked to Hyuuga Hinata, the missing heiress—my cousin," The man responded. Sakura kept her guard up,

"I am Hyuuga Neji of the branch house of Hyuuga, this is my partner Tenten. We need to find Hinata, can you help us?" Neji asked in an almost desperate tone. Sakura remembered what Hinata mentioned of Neji and said he was a good man, but Sakura still can't trust him or anyone about Hinata. Who knows what they want with her? Sakura gave the Hyuuga heir a poker but serious face,

"I suggest you look somewhere else…" Sakura turned away to continue to her quarters, when what Neji said next stopped her,

"She might be in danger."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note: I'm still alive!<strong>_


	7. Chapter 7

**-Lady of the Fifth House-**

**By: Applesofwrath**

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

><p>A few days past since the celebration of the alliance of Konoha and Haruno and the main members of each royal house decided to stay a few days at the royal palace to take care of some matters. So far a meeting has been called for the lords of each house to discuss future matters with the queen, while the rest of the royal house members were enjoying their stay at the palace. Uzumaki Naruto groaned as he waited in his temporary quarters. It was possible he paced the room a thousand times; he was impatient and antsy for his godfather to be done with the meeting with the queen and share any insight into his chances of becoming the regent for the country.<p>

The blond scratched his head out of nervousness, surely, the queen found him qualified! He had the strength and abilities of a great leader and protector of the country. He felt so close to his dream of becoming the sovereign ruler Konoha. He had to have been destined for it for royal blood ran through his veins. Sure, he has some tough competition between King Sarutobi's grandson, Konohamaru and some other relatives of the royal family, but still. He was the son of the Konoha's yellow flash, Namikaze Minato—Surely, that gives him some advantage.

Naruto shook his head, if the Gods are willing, they will put him on the throne. If not, they will not. He will have to just leave it in their hands. The young man sighed; it's been over three hours and nothing from Jiraiya yet. Maybe he should step out of his quarters and see what Sasuke-teme was up to. Seeing his best friend for a bit isn't a bad idea for distraction. Naruto threw on a simple haori over his kimono and was ready to leave his quarters for a while when a knock alerted him. A familiar voice spoke,

"Naruto, the meeting is over now," the blond could hear Jiraiya's sigh from behind the door, "can I come in?"

"Naruto walked over to the door and ushered his godfather inside. The tall elderly man with a long white mane entered and made himself comfortable in Naruto's quarters. He sat down on the floor mat near the tea table and motioned Naruto to join him. The blond sat down,

"Hmm… Ero-Sensei, do you want me to ask the servants to get us some tea?" The Lord-Steward shook his head,

"No, that is alright. We were supplied with plenty of tea while we were in that meeting for hours," Jiraiya groaned before scolding his godson, "And will you quit calling me that? I have a reputation to keep as a temporary Lord until you inherit the house! I don't need you to stain my image by calling me that in public or in private!" Naruto laughed devilishly,

"You write erotic literature and have them published. Reputation shouldn't have been much of a concern to you when you decided to take _that_ up as a hobby…" Jiraiya scolded,

"I use a pen-name, dummy," Jiraiya stuck out his tongue at the blond. Naruto just picked at his ear with his pinky finger muttering,

"Hehhh, if only Sasuke-teme's servant, Kakashi knew that the writer of his beloved book series was actually head of a royal house…" Jiraiya sighed in annoyance before changing his tone to a more serious one,

"Tsunade did mention a bit of you during the meeting…" At this, the blond threw his hands on the tea table in uncontained excitement,

"REALLY? WHAT EXACTLY DID SHE SAY? TELL ME!"

"CALM YOURSELF DOWN!" The elderly man raised his voice, "there is nothing definite from what she said… However, she said that you are a very strong contender. She finds other relatives unfit for the position. And as much as she adores Konohamaru, she finds him too young in age to be king and believes the country would be uncomfortable with a young boy as king. Now, If Prince Asuma was still alive, he would definitely be in line in front of you, but alas, he is not…" Jiraiya explained.

"There are some rumors in the streets that Prince Asuma married some common woman in secret and she is holding his baby," Naruto shared. The white haired man rolled his eyes,

"Don't give those rumors any credence unless there is evidence. Anyway, if Konohamaru was older than you, then surely he would be ahead in royal succession. In my opinion, I believe you are in the lead—."

"REALLY? YOU THINK SO?!" Naruto boomed, throwing up his fists in victory.

"It's just my own personal opinion and observation, but there is nothing definite! I just think there is no one else more qualified to be king than you." Jiraiya chuckled, and Naruto became silent and composed himself before his godfather,

"...Thank you…_Father_."

* * *

><p>Uchiha Sasuke spent his early afternoon wandering the royal palace's vast gardens. After seeing a glimpse of the gardens with Shikamaru a few nights ago, he decided to finally wander into them. He has heard many speak of the beauty of the Queen's gardens, and those words rang true. Sasuke was sure he has seen so many different flowers to anyone a lifetime. The stoic young heir to Uchiha decided to stand by a particular pond he found quite lovely and tranquil. The sound of water was relaxing and he watched as the gentle wind blew pink petals from a nearby tree and onto the pond's surface. His obsidian eyes turned to see a sakura tree not too far from him. Hearing some footsteps approach him, the dark haired boy turned his attention to his visitor.<p>

Hatake Kakashi approached the youngest Uchiha and bowed in respect before speaking. He was Sasuke's most loyal servant and has served the Uchiha family for many years as Sasuke's tutor, bodyguard, and confidante. The tall, gray haired man wore a simple cotton kimono with a haori over it. On his waist, he was equipped with a sheathed wakizashi. An eyepatch covered his left eye, hiding the adopted Sharingan ability. Sasuke never smiled at his subjects, but instead he always gave a polite nod to them back.

"Has father returned from the meeting?" Kakashi met his gaze,

"Yes, he has," Kakashi confirmed, "Her highness spoke highly of Naruto during the meeting and your father believes there is some unspoken agreement between the queen and the council members that Naruto is in the lead for the position of regent. Now, that is good news for you, according to your father—being best of friends with a man of such potential power." Sasuke responded with a hint of annoyance in his baritone voice,

"If it wasn't for Naruto's status, father would have told me a long time ago to ditch that goofy idiot," at this, Kakashi nodded disappointedly. Kakashi has known the Uchiha a long time to know that Lord Fugaku is a very ambitious man when it comes to the clan.

"…But, I am happy for Naruto. Knowing that dobe, he'll dance at hearing such news… He's wanted this his whole life," Sasuke grinned.

"And of course, the usual talk of taxes and future projects with the new royal house. Ahh, yes… The Haruno heiress! Fugaku-sama stresses to you and Itachi to pursue her and as much as Hanabi-sama from the Hyuuga House would bring great power to you or Itachi. Fugaku-sama has always had distaste towards the Hyuugas," Kakashi informed.

Sasuke grimly nodded. The two clans have been rivals for years and as ambitious as they both were, a possible union between them was a joke. Growing up, Sasuke never quite understood his family's rivalry towards the Hyuugas until he was a bit older. When he met Hyuuga Neji, Sasuke finally understood why his family didn't like them.

"I would never admit this to anyone, but to you, I think I have never met a more arrogant clan…" Sasuke frowned. Kakashi smiled in amusement before continuing to inform Sasuke of recent information,

"The Queen also plans to send you and a bunch of representatives from each house to visit Suna. I haven't been informed as to why, but later in the evening, the Queen will summon the younger generation to a meeting. So as always, your father wants you to be well prepared and represent the family well."

Sasuke nodded before letting out a sigh, "Kakashi… I have never been good with women, how am supposed to win over that Haruno Sakura? From the looks of it at the party, she seemed to bond better with Naruto or my brother…" Sasuke let out an exasperated groan.

Kakashi looked confused, "But… I see you, and you carry yourself with such confidence and—."

Sasuke stopped him, "Uchihas can be good actors... I know it would make father the most proud of me if I can win over Haruno Sakura. Other women seem to throw themselves at me for whatever reason, and I treat them apathy and that somehow works, but I can't treat Sakura with apathy. She's different from the kind of women I usually meet. I don't know how to handle her." Kakashi smiled at Sasuke,

"I think you just need to be yourself and be sincere with your feelings." At this, Sasuke looked confused and defeated, "I'm not sure what you mean…" Kakashi just chuckled,

"You'll figure it out. And I know your father is a hard man but I'm sure he'll be proud of you no matter who you end up marrying," the gray haired confidante tried to be optimistic.

"I guess…" Sasuke muttered.

"And you have many options, young master! Even if you don't marry the Haruno heiress," Kakashi pressed,

"The women in Konoha are disappointing…"

"What about the Suna princess? I hear she is still unmarried and imagine wedding _The _Princess Temari of Suna. I heard she was quite taken with you when you met her years ago."

"I rather not. I find her annoying. A woman like her needs a more _submissive_ man."

"What about that daughter from the wealthy family that resides in Iwa? The House of Mori, was it?

"I've seen pigs that look better."

"Oh don't say that! She seemed like a nice young lady…What about that woman who kept flirting with you during the autumn banquet last year at the Uchiha Estate? What's her name? Matsui Karin of that lesser noble family of east Uchiha?" At this, Sasuke scoffed.

"Hah. I'd rather not… I don't know what sort of diseases lay between her legs…"

"Ohhh it's just a rumor that she lives a promiscuous lifestyle. Maybe she's just misunderstood?"

"Rumor or not, I can't take her seriously… Or bear the thought of being stuck with her _for life_!"

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><p>In the same meeting room where the meeting was held for the royal council, another meeting was to take place that evening right after dinner with the younger generation of the royal houses. Queen Tsunade walked down the hall towards the familiar double doors and entered the room. At the large table sat Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, and Hyuuga Neji who simply sat quietly and paid no attention to each other. When they saw the queen enter the meeting room, they all stood up to greet her before she sat down. Shortly after, Nara Shikamaru appeared gave a quick bow to the queen before sitting down. Naruto and Sakura appeared last and bowed politely at the queen before finding a seat. As Sakura sat down, she realized that she was sitting right across from the pearl eyed Hyuuga prodigy. Not willing to seem intimidated by his intense gaze, Sakura gave him a quick but not too warm of a smile at Neji and gazed back at him. Sasuke who sat next to Neji, noticed this exchange and wondered what exactly made Sakura and Neji seem cold to each other. Oblivious, Tsunade cleared her throat to start the discussions. All eyes and ears at the table turned to the blond haired ruler.<p>

"We have much to discuss," Tsunade announced, "I hope you all have been diligent in being dutiful children to such esteemed and powerful houses. I know each house has its own issues to overcome within their land, but I hope that you grow into great leaders like your fathers. Your fathers have each done exceptional efforts to support the royal family and to the people of Konoha. As you probably are aware, the poverty rate has significantly decreased, and crops in the north seem to be doing much better since that small famine two years earlier. Advancements in medicine are coming along well, and with the help of Haruno's resources in their advanced sciences, I am hoping to see great improvement for the healthcare of our people. Our military defenses are growing nicely too thanks to both Uchiha and Hyuuga Houses." Tsunade faced Naruto and Shikamaru,

"The alliance with Suna is now official," At this Tsunade gave a big smile, "And I want to thank both Naruto and Shikamaru for being greatly involved with the Suna alliance. When you two went to deliver the alliance proposal, the two of you made quite an impression on King Gaara. His letters to me hold the two of you in great esteem."

Naruto scratched his head nervously while Shikamaru smirked. Sakura winked at Naruto, congratulating his achievement. Unknownst to the people at the table, Sasuke saw this and couldn't help but frown.

"As you have heard, King Gaara will be celebrating the first birthday of his son, crown prince Kankurou. I want you and some of your best subjects for travel to go to Suna bearing gifts to the King and for his son, congratulating him on his heir and to thank him for agreeing to the alliance. This will be a great opportunity for the future generation of Konoha to be acquainted with his majesty and mark the first chapter of this friendly alliance. Do your best to represent this country well!" Tsunade commanded,

"Yes, your highness," the six of them said in unison.

"Good! I want you all to meet in three days time at the royal city's southern gate at dawn to journey to Suna. You have three days to buy a personal gift for the King and his son. It will be four day journey: three days by land and one day by sea. Be prepared!"

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><p>"Sakura-chan! How nice of you to visit!" Ino beamed.<p>

"Ino-chan, I hope you've been doing well. I was hoping to have some tea with you, since I'm here in the royal city for house matters. I hope I'm not being an inconvenience," Sakura said as she hugged her old friend.

They pulled away and Ino ushered her into her house. Sakura's old friend Ino lived in the eastern side of the royal city in a lovely house near the theatre. Since Sakura was in the market, looking for a fitting gift for her mission, she decided to pay Ino a visit. Only a day has passed since Tsunade's meeting, but Sakura wanted to go ahead and start early with the Queen's assignment.

Her friend Ino was a beautiful, light blond haired woman with icy blue eyes. She wore her long mane in a half-do with ornaments in her hair and in a simple purple kimono. Ino lived as a well-known tutor of the arts. She taught young girls how to dance, play instruments, taught them proper etiquette, flower-arranging, and helped them find husbands as a matchmaker. Last time Sakura visited her, she learned that Ino became engaged to her lover, Sai who was a becoming a well-known painter.

As the blond woman led Sakura into her fine house, she excitedly proposed that instead of just tea, Sakura should join her and Sai for dinner for tonight.

"Are you sure it's not inconvenient? I know I showed up out of the blue, but I guess I wanted to surprise you," Sakura laughed. Ino shook her head,

"Absolutely! I would love it if you would join me and Sai tonight. But come, I'll have some tea ready for us, I want to hear everything and catch up," Ino grinned.

The two women sat down on Ino's delicate tea table and were eager to exchange stories. Ino poured Sakura some tea,

"It's been months since I last saw you. I'm sure things must have been crazy for you and your parents since the Queen first proposed your family to join the royal houses," Ino said in awe.

"Yes, it has been. I was beginning to wonder if I had to quit my secret job as a traveling healer. I was able to do both, thankfully. Hinata is such a great companion to have around," Sakura nodded.

"How is she doing? I'm guessing she's at Haruno?"

"Yes, for safety reasons, she is… I'm afraid we might have more enemies to face this time," Sakura frowned. Ino scoffed,

"Her family is ridiculous," Ino shook her head as she sipped her tea. Sakura nodded,

"I agree. I find it extreme as well for her family to exile her because they think she doesn't match up to Hanabi. And also that Hinata wanted to reform some Hyuuga traditions," Sakura sighed.

"Times have changed and it's about time they do away with that old rule…" Ino commented.

"I agree, the whole division in the house is just too oppressive. I met a branch house member, his name is Hyuuga Neji. Even though I don't like him much, I do feel bad for him for being under that branch house rule," Sakura sighed.

"Oh, I heard of him. And I heard he's quite handsome too," Ino chuckled. Sakura chuckled along,

"He is handsome, I won't deny it. I just can't tell right now if he's an enemy or friend to Hinata. I have to cautious around him until I find out his true intentions," at this, Ino nodded.

"I know I said this last time, but congratulations on your engagement. I am so excited for you," Sakura smiled.

"Thank you," Ino said as she poured Sakura more tea, "I hope you find yourself a man too. I bet those noblemen are already courting you." Sakura shrugged,

"They plan on it, but I won't say yes to any of them just for the sake of status," Sakura paused, "Although, I am… _Intrigued_ with someone."

"Who is it?" Ino asked, very curiously.

"His name is Uchiha Sasuke, of the Uchiha House," Sakura looked contemplative, "I don't know him well yet, but… For whatever reason, he's interesting."

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><p><strong><em>Author's Note: I hope you liked the chapter :] Read &amp; Review!<em>**


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